Feeling easy on the outside
But not so funny on the inside
Feel the sound, pray for rain
For this is the night we ride

This ain't the garden of Eden
There ain't no angels above
And things ain't like what they used to be
And this ain't the summer of love

Lock all your doors from the outside
The key will dangle by the inside
You may begin to understand
That this is the night we ride

This ain't the garden of Eden
There ain't no angels above
And things ain't like what they used to be
And this ain't the summer of love

On the night we ride, this ain't the summer of love.
This ain't the garden of eden
There ain't no angels above
And things ain't like what they used to be
And this ain't the summer of love
This ain't the summer, this ain't, this ain't
This ain't the summer of love


Lyrics submitted by shut

This Ain't the Summer of Love Lyrics as written by A. Bouchard Don Waller

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

This Ain't The Summer Of Love song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

5 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    Not exactly an evangelical hymnal, that's for sure. One of the greatest album-opening songs ever.

    kevwizon June 11, 2007   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    to me this is about taking risks... and not getting caught up in religious beliefs or ways of living... this ain't the summer of love to me simply means you are not finding what your looking for... so I'm catching the idea BOC is not all about happy stuff, but listening to them doesn't make me feel depressed... more of a realist.

    Ahourstoryon June 21, 2015   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    great song as a high school freshman in 1976 bicentenial with no girl friend this song just made perfect sense

    radioheadsteron August 08, 2018   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I bought the album and this sets the tone for what is to come.... "Summer of Love" was that hippy dream time in the mid sixties, a decade had passed and here we had those arch metalloid fiends BOC putting the 70s into perspective. No, "things aint what they used to be" so maybe we should all get real and grow up and deal with the harsher realities of life that were always there... It segues into another paean to times lost and times to deal with stuff you rather you did not have to..."True Confessions" an allusion to the magazines of this name no doubt. A great track from a great album I played all the time that year... my girlfriend once remarked to the contrary when it had finished playing, our relationship endured at least another year but then it was soon enough time for some true confessions, no 78 "aint the summer of love".... well, for some of us maybe...

    Rockinroystonon February 11, 2020   Link
  • -2
    General Comment

    L7 covered this song.

    samwaltonon August 12, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.